


Mark Time Forward

by TooForToo



Category: Carmilla - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Marching Band, Fluffish, High School Drama, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-08-31
Updated: 2015-10-27
Packaged: 2018-04-18 05:55:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,428
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4694600
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TooForToo/pseuds/TooForToo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Carmilla and Perry are drum majors for Silas marching band. Laura finally convinces her dad to let her join. High school Au, and the Marching band Au that nobody asked for.<br/>Written by: HartoSwag.tumblr.com<br/>Edited by: CarmCake.tumblr.com</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Show Off

“Dad, I’m going to join marching band this year.” Laura announced. Her dad scoffed.

“Over my dead body kiddo. Didn’t some girl break her leg doing it last year?” He set down his book and looked up.

“She fractured her ankle. Plus I’m pretty sure that happened after marching band was over.” Laura crossed her arms.

“The answer is no, Laura. We’ve spoken about this before.” He rubbed his temple and looked back at Laura.

“Why not? Dad, I’m not a little girl anymore, you don’t have to keep me locked up just because you think I’ll get kidnapped or beaten up. I can handle myself, I’m 16 now!”

Her father sighed once more. “No Laura, I don’t want you getting hurt or bullied.”

“Dad, how do you expect me to make friends if you never let me join anything?” He stood up.

“Laura, that is not even close to the truth. I let you join the student newspaper, remember?”

“Yeah, but only after you gave the teacher a stern talk about ‘guidelines to taking care of Laura.’ Not to mention, I was practically shunned from the group because of it.” Laura threw her arms up.

“I’m not asking for much, dad. I’ll even pay the fees. I just want to do marching band.”

Laura’s dad rubbed the bridge of his nose and sat back down.

“I don’t know Laura, I mean, I understand that your mother wa-”

“This isn’t about mom, This is about me dad” He stood there weighing out the options, Laura had her arms crossed and began to tap her foot. Her looked her in the eyes and huffed.

“Okay Laura.”

“Okay what, daddy?” She perched her hands on her hips.

“You can join marching band.” He gave Laura tired eyes and looked her in the eyes. Laura squealed and hugged her dad tightly.

“On ONE condition,” he added.

Laura pulled back and raised an eyebrow. “What is it?”

“I want you to promise me that you won’t get hurt.” Laura sighed exasperatedly, but hugged him again anyway.

“I can’t promise you anything...but I’ll try,” she finished. Her father dismissed her, seemingly appeased by her response, and she ran back into her room to tell LaFontaine the news.

 **ShortStack (8:23pm):** HE SAID YES!!!!!!!

 **LaFonBrain (8:25pm):** What!!!!! That’s so awesome!

 **LaFonBrain (8:26pm):** You should probably start practicing your music now, otherwise you’ll fall behind

 **ShortStack (8:27pm):** Working on it rn!

 

Band camp started two weeks before school started just so that the band could get a head start for football season. Laura woke up and packed all of her things for camp. Water, flute, more water, sheet music, phone charger, sunscreen, ear buds, bear spray.  Bear spray was another small arrangement she had with her dad. He read something about a bear attacking some band camp student in another state. Shortly after reading the article her raced to the store and bought enough spray to take down a bear sanctuary.

“Laura, are you ready?”  Laura grabbed her bag and slipped on her shoes.

“Coming, dad!” She stumbled downstairs hastily and her dad handed her a brown lunch bag.

“You’re gonna be outside for a while and I wouldn’t want you to starve.” He explained, grinning at her. She kissed his cheek as they headed out the door.

“Are you sure about this Laura?”  He asked for the millionth time once they had gotten into the car. Laura exhaled loudly.

“Yes dad, I am completely sure” He gripped the steering wheel, knowing there was no way he could talk her out of it.

“I’ll be here at 5. If anything goes wrong, call me so I can come get you.”

Laura opened the door barely stepping outside. “Don’t worry dad, I’ll be just fine. I love you.”

“Love you too, sweetheart.”  Laura shut the door and waved at her dad as he drove away.

 **LaFonBrain (7:25am):** You here yet? I got here a bit early, I’m in the band room.

Laura tucked her phone back into the pocket of her shorts and made her way inside. She looked around the hallways and noticed the repainted walls. _Great, it went from a puke green to a less pukey green._ She continued to walk, noticing the portraits of all of the school athletes lined up against the walls. _If only they did this with academics._  Once she finally reached band room number 307, she stepped inside hesitantly.

“Laf?” She looked around but didn’t see the familiar head of ginger locks.

“In here!” Laura set her bag down and followed the voice into the instrument closet.

“Actually, don’t come in. I don’t want to get in trouble.” Laura stood outside the doorway.

“In trouble? We’re just inside the instrument room...” Lafontaine pulled their instrument from the shelf and walked out.

“Director Cochrane doesn’t let more than one person inside of the band room because of an ‘incident’ that happened last year.”

Laura furrowed her eyebrows. “What kind of ‘incident?’”

LaFontaine turned around and gave her an awkward smile. “Well...Karnstein was kinda found in there with some chick and I’ll let you piece the rest of it together.” They folded their arms over their chest uncomfortably. _He sounds like a player._

“Oh.”

“Yeah...Also the reason why we’re not allowed to lock any doors behind us.”

Laura scrunched up her eyebrows. “Wait...what if we have to change into our uniforms?”

They just gave Laura a shrug. “You gotta own up to your body Laura. Half the dudes in here already have some chick they’re mooching over anyway. As for the girls on the other hand….” They cleared their throat awkwardly. Laura nodded. _I’ll make sure to keep that in mind._

“So, what do we do while we wait?” Laura looked around the room more closely. She had been here before, but now it just felt odd without the presence of teachers inside the building. She looked at the back wall where all the marching trophies were lined up. Most of them were second and third place victories with the occasional “Best in show” scattered amongst the silver and bronze. She wanted the team to take home first this year.

“You can tune your flute while we wait,” LaFontaine said, interrupting Laura’s thoughts. They grinned mischievously. “Or we can just dick around with the percussion instruments.” LaFontaine made their way over to the marimba and gingerly picked up the mallets.

“The handbook said that we’re not allowed to touch or play the other sections instruments,” Laura chirped nervously.

LaFontaine chuckled at her. “You know, nobody actually reads the handbook...” They began to play small snippets of popular songs, nodding their head to the rhythms of the marimba. Laura was just getting into the groove of some Katy Perry song when a noise startled the two into silence. They both heard the door open and turned their heads.  

“Hey, LaF.” LaFontaine was suddenly making heart-eyes at the intruder, their hands still poised over the instrument.

“Oh, hey Perry! Where’s mistress of the snark?” _Mistress of the snark?_

Perry shrugged. “She kicked WIll and me out of her car as soon as we got here. So I’m guessing the obvious.” _Who was this chick?_ Laura wondered, her curiosity heightened. She shifted uncomfortably.

“Oh, Perry, This is Laura. She’s a really good friend of mine.” Laura gave her a hesitant smile and waved.

“And Laura, this is Perry. She’s second drum major.” Perry nodded politely.

“It’s a pleasure to have you here Laura, You play flute right?” _How on earth did she guess?_

“Yeah! How did you know?!” Laura was surprised at Perry's ability to determine her instrument so quickly..

“I can sense it.” Perry smiled.

“Really?” Laura questioned.

“No...your instruments were on the chairs, and I know for a fact that LaFontaine doesn’t have the talent to play the flute.” Perry admitted with a wink.

“Hey! That’s not nice” LaFontaine countered. They frowned.

“Sorry babe, I had to say it.” Laura chuckled. They really were quite domestic.

“So, who is first drum major?” she asked. Perry was about to answer before she was interrupted by a scuffling noise by the doorway.

“That would be me cupcake.” A girl Laura had never seen before strutted in fixing the top button of her shorts and rubbing the lipstick off of her neck and a jawline that could cut glass. _Holy hufflepuff is she hot._ The intruder tied up her shirt, making a makeshift crop top, then threw her stuff at a closet by the chair and leaned against one of the bass drums.

“Excuse me, who the hell are you?” The words slipped out of Laura’s mouth before she could help herself. The stranger had made a rude entrance and Laura had no patience for rudeness.

“Carmilla. I’m the new drum major, sweetheart.” Laura’s face flushed. She had just spoken to the girl so condescendingly without knowing who she was.

“You’re first drum major?” Laura made a face with a mixture of disgust and confusion.

“Well don’t you catch on fast?” Carmilla smirked.

“Carm, that’s Laura Hollis, she’s new.” Perry tried to ease the tension.

“Would she like a medal?” Carmilla retorted as she walked into the director's office and made her way towards the fridge.

“What the hell is her deal?” Laura whispered to Perry.

“You just gotta warm up to her,” Perry mumbled back quickly before seeing Carmilla walking back out.

“You know, you’re not allowed to play other people's instruments.” Carmilla said as LaFontaine handed her the mallets. Carmilla set her soda down.

“But, it’s not like anyone gives a fuck anyways” Carmilla began to play the marimba. Unlike LaFontaine, she knew the notes. She began to play songs sped up nearly 3 times faster than the original tempo. _Show off._ Carmilla didn’t stop playing for a good ten minutes. Laura was both annoyed and impressed by Carmilla. She didn’t want to admit that Carmilla was both talented and hot, since she was almost certain that Carmilla just thought that Laura was an easy target. Someone she could hook up with then move on. That was Carmilla's plan at least.

Eventually, the rest of the band arrived. There were about 35 people there, a variety of different instrument players. Carmilla and Perry made their way over to the front of the room. Carmilla stood there and snapped her fingers twice. Immediately, the whole room quieted to a hush and turned to the front.

“Welcome to band camp. I am Carmilla Karnstein, drum major one, and this is Perry, drum major two. Since there’s a bit of fresh meat here, I’ll give you a little quick intro to marching band.” Carmilla began, rattling off her introduction in a monotone voice. It was as if she had said this a million times. She took in a sharp breath.

“Whatever Perry or I say goes. We have the same amount of authority as Director Cochrane. If I say your note is too flat or sharp, fix it.” She looked intently at the other campers, eyes narrowed. “And what is a drum major, you might be asking? Well, it’s just some dumb word for a conductor in the making. Perry here doesn’t even play the drums... Anyway, that’s enough of me. Perry, you can take over,” she finished boredly, her attention fixed elsewhere. Perry nodded and began to speak.

Carmilla, meanwhile, had began to flirt very unsubtly with the object of her attention, one of the new girls. After some hushed whispers and giggles, Carmilla moved the girl’s hair from her neck, revealing a line of preexisting hickies. Laura tried to concentrate on the information that Perry was giving but she couldn’t take her eyes off of Carmilla and who ever she was talking to. _How the hell._ Laura was nudged by LaFontaine.   
“Pay attention, otherwise you’ll be lost later.” Laura looked back towards Perry. She was talking about marching posture and the history of marching band. Laura was already lost. She looked back to Carmilla, who seemed a bit aggravated. Carmilla stood up and made her way back to the front.

“As much as I would love to hear about the history of marching band, we have a schedule to keep. We need to be outside. All you need to bring is water.” Carmilla walked towards her bag and casually tossed her water bottle towards some blonde girl who began to follow her like a puppy. Laura walked with LaFontaine and Perry, who both talked casually about their summer.

“Hey!” Laura heard. She turned to see a very tall redhead approach her.

“Hi?”

“You’re a freshman right?” _Ugh, why can’t I be taller?_ Laura shook her head.

“Sophomore,” she huffed.

“Oh. My bad. Well, I’m Danny Lawrence. I play percussion.” Danny had her hair pushed out of her face with a bandana. She was wearing a track shirt.

“I’m Laura Hollis. I play flute.” Laura smiled shyly.

“Less talking, more walking. Hurry your asses up.” Carmilla began to walk backwards signaling for the group to speed up. She eyed Laura and Danny closely.

“She’s a pain in the ass,” Danny commented. Laura chuckled.

“She can’t be _that_ bad.”

“Just wait. She might be all ‘hot’ and mysterious, but she’s a dick.” Danny scoffed. “Is this your first year?”

Laura had to seriously work to keep up with Danny's long legs. _No wonder she’s in track._ “Yeah, I finally convinced my dad to let me come.”

“Well, it’s great to have you. You know what they say - the more the merrier.” Some girl began to tug on Danny's wrist. Danny looked back at Laura.

“I’ll see you around Hollis, let me know if you ever need anything.” Danny walked slower and intertwined hands with the girl, who Laura didn’t recognize.

Laura saw Director Cochrane driving towards the field using the band’s golf cart. It began to slow down as it got closer to the group, giving Carmilla a chance to hop on. She sat back and put on her sunglasses. It took a couple minutes to arrive. Carmilla took the megaphone from the golf cart and made her way to the center of the field.

“I want everyone to circle around me.” The group attempted to form a circle, but failed, joining together into some unidentifiable blob.

“I said a circle, nitwits, not whatever the hell this is.” Director Cochrane didn’t seem bothered by Carmilla's cursing, just remained perched on top of a wooden lifeguard chair watching the group disinterestedly.

Perry made her way to the center next to Carmilla and whispered a couple of things into her ear.

“Okay. First order of business, stretching.” Carmilla reached down to touch her toes as Perry began to count to twenty. Laura snuck glances at Carmilla. Her ass looks too good in those shorts.

“Quad stretch.” Laura reached over and grabbed at her leg, attempting to balance on one, but she kept wobbling. Carmilla noticed and watched her intently.

“Grab the boob.” Laura dropped her leg in confusion.

“What?”

Carmilla looked at her. “Grab. The. Boob.” She said very seriously, reaching her hand out in a grouping motion.

“Uh. Why?” Laura went back to trying to balance. Carmilla shook her head.

“Just do it.” Laura complied reluctantly. She put her hand outwards and made a grabbing motion with her hand. Her balance was fixed and she no longer wobbled.

“There you go.” Carmilla said briskly, before turning back to counting.

“Two laps around the field. Go!” Carmilla picked up the megaphone and chased the campers around the field, yelling at them like a drill sergeant.

“Pick the feet up! This is nothing! I could run this in my sleep.” Carmilla didn’t break a sweat despite yelling and running simultaneously. Laura began to slow down toward the end.

“Come on Hollis, just run your legs like you do your mouth!’ Laura began to speed up trying to get away from Carmilla.

“There you go, Hollis!” Carmilla stayed behind chasing the people falling behind. They met back up to where they started to run, most of them out of breath and sweaty.

“Now make two lines on the field.” The group scrambled to make a sloppy line. Laura stood in between Danny and LaFontaine.

“I want you all to face the baseball field,” Carmilla ordered. She moved a couple of people around, evening out the lines. Then she handed Perry the megaphone.

“We are going to do the exercises we went over earlier.”

“Band ten hut.” Laura watched as the whole crowd lined up at attention and yelled the words “Lophi!” in unison. She awkwardly made her way to attention.

“That was slacking. Let’s try that again. At ease.” The whole group relaxed and moved out of attention.

“Band ten hut.” Laura attempted to follow the rest of the group this time.

“That was better, but it wasn’t great.” The group groaned. Laura felt her nose itch and went to scratch it.

“Hollis, give me 5.” Carmilla yelled out. Laura put her hand up hesitantly, thinking Carmilla wanted a high five.

“No, idiot. Drop down and give me five push ups.” Laura didn’t move, thinking Carmilla was just teasing her. “Hollis, you don’t move from attention. Now drop down.” Laura obeyed reluctantly and attempted to do a push up as Carmilla watched her posture closely.

“Lower.” Laura grimaced and forced herself lower. She wasn’t going to let Carmilla embarrass her on her first day. “Straighten up your back.” Laura did as she was told and reached the last push up. She stood back up at attention. Carmilla nooded and inspected the rest of the group.

While she did, Danny, looked over at Laura. “Laura, you don’t move or talk at attent-”

“Lawrence, drop down and give me 15. You know better.” Carmilla shouted out a couple of feet down. Danny rolled her eyes and did her push ups effortlessly.

“God damn it,” Danny whispered.

“That’s another 10 Lawrence,” Carmilla shouted. While Carmilla waited for Danny to get back in her place, Perry began to explain the instructions to what they were about to do. Laura couldn’t stop staring at Carmilla. She spaced out again.

“Mark time forward,” Perry yelled out as the group not only moved to attention, but moved forward.

“One, two, three four, five, six, seven, touch and close.” Laura was not only behind, but she also stumbled on the way to the next line. _Fuck, this is what I get for not listening to LaF._

“Laura, keep up, otherwise you’ll get pulled.” LaFontaine whispered. ”Hey gingersnap, drop down and give me 10.” Carmilla ordered. Laura sighed.

“Let’s try that again everyone,” Perry commanded. Laura did better at keeping up this time but it still wasn't enough. _Fuck._

“Band about face,” Carmilla commanded. “Rest one, two, three,” the group said in unison, leaving Laura behind. She mentally kicked herself and tried to watch Danny’s feet to follow along.

“Hollis, keep your head up. With pride.” Carmilla stood in front of her tilting Laura’s chin upwards. She looked at her intently and Laura forgot how to breathe for a second. _What if it’s been stripped by some annoying drum major who happens to look incredibly good in shorts?_ Laura missed yet another command given. Perry took note.

“Laura, step out.” Perry commanded sternly, looking both weary and impatient. Laura made her way over to her, sheepish.

“Carmilla will be assisting you since you seem to be having a bit of trouble following along.” Right on cue, Carmilla strutted her way over towards her. _Oh no._


	2. Warming Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Laura warms up to the band kids.

“Hey cutie, how ‘bout you follow me this way?” Carmilla reached out to grab Laura’s wrist but before she could, Laura swatted her hand away.

“Feisty, I like it.” Carmilla snickered and led the two of them towards an empty section of the field, lining up against the 5 yard line.

“Okay, cupcake, you have to march without moving your torso, like this.” Carmilla began to demonstrate and marched in place effortlessly, her upper body completely stiff. “Now you try it.” She faced Laura and watched her with narrowed eyes.

_Don’t move your torso, march in place. Not that hard._ Laura attempted to mimic Carmilla’s actions, but her shoulders bounced. "No, Laura, keep your hips still.” Laura continued to march in place, trying to stay as still as she could, but she still couldn’t get it right.

Carmilla placed her hands on Laura’s hips and held them still. “Try it again,” she said, softer. Carmilla held her down with a firm grip while Laura struggled to keep her hips still. Her face was flushed and she wasn’t sure if it was from the heat or Carmilla’s hand placement.

“God damn it Laura, just keep your hips still.” Carmilla’s hands pressed firmer against her sides.

“How about you teach her how to do it first instead of forcing your hands on her?” Laura turned her head and saw a pale guy approach the two of them. Carmilla turned around and huffed, pulling her hands back momentarily.

“Shut the fuck up Will, you wouldn’t be able to do it.”

He hummed in response. “Mmm, I probably can.”

Carmilla shot him a glare. “I bet you can’t.”

Will chuckled. “Listen kitty, I’m not going to place a bet on a girl because that’s a bit disrespectful... but you could buy both of us lunch if I can get her to do it.” Carmilla sighed and stepped aside in resignation to let him take charge.

“Whatever.”

“Alright, Laura, you have to start with your heels together and your feet pointing outwards.” Will demonstrated and watched closely as Laura followed along.

“Great! Now, you have to keep your arms raised up, put your hands together and keep them a couple of inches from your mouth.” Laura did as told and Will tilted her chin up higher.

“Right. Now, this is how you stand at attention. When one of the majors calls attention, you move to this as fast as you can and chant ‘Lophi!’” Laura nodded. “Also, you’re not supposed to move at all at attention. That’s why Carm made you do push ups earlier.” Laura was about to nod again but she stopped herself once she saw Carmilla’s smug expression.

“Okay, you have that down, now we can start marching.” Will placed himself back on the line and counted them off. “Remember you have to keep your torso straight, try not to swing your hips and make sure to roll the edges of your feet so you don’t bounce.” He marched along with Carmilla counting him off.

“Okay, now you try it. Make it to the line and then stop.” Laura stood at attention and waited for Carmilla to count her off. She kept her head high and her shoulders still. She began to feel herself bounce, but quickly fixed it before reaching the line.

“Better, you’re not bouncing as much so that’s an improvement. Do it a couple more times.” Laura marched back and forth while Carmilla and Will watched.

“I’d say you owe me big sis.” Will nudged her arm. Carmilla rolled her eyes.

“Do me a favor and shut the fuck up.” Will chuckled and let Laura continue a couple more times.

“Hey Laura, you can take five. Also, I’ll see you during lunch since Carm here is so generously offering.” Will smirked and walked off.

“Really? Carm, that’s so nice of you to do.” She skipped to join LaFontaine and the rest of the group, shooting a grin at Carmilla.

“Whatever,” Carmilla grumbled.

“Hey frosh, how was the 1v1 with vampira over there?” LaF asked.

Laura smiled and brought her skipping to a halt. “It was actually really great! Will and Carmilla both helped me out!” LaFontaine gave her a look of surprise.

“You’re talking about the Karnsteins? As in Carmilla and Will Karnstein?” Laura looked at them with a confused look.

“Wait...Karnstein? You mean Will was the guy found in the closet with that one chick?” Laura asked in disbelief as Perry chuckled.

“No, Carmilla was the one in the closet with the chick. Will’s the one still stuck in there.” _Woah. Didn’t see that one coming._

“So Will is -”

“Gay.” LaFontaine finished for her.

“And Carmilla is - ”

“Also gay.” Laura nodded slowly. _That makes sense. Avoid Carmilla’s seduction at all costs. Wait, she’s been flirting with me...right? She called me cutie, that’s something. Maybe she was just trying to help….Wait, bu-_ LaFontaine looked at Laura curiously. “Earth to Laura?” Laura shook her head.

“Sorry, I was just thinking...”

LaFontaine wiggled their eyebrows at Perry. Laura elbowed them with a scowl.

“So, Laura, what are your plans for lunch?” Perry eased the silence.

“Oh, well, Carmilla offered to buy Will and I lunch, so I guess I’m going with them. LaFontaine, you should come with us. I’m sure Carmilla won’t mind.”

“Are you sure? I don’t want to get on her bad side, considering she’s a drum major and whatnot...” LaFontaine said slowly. Perry chuckled at them, starting to play with their hair.

“I’m sure she won’t, I’ll ask her in a bit.”  Laura could start to feel the buildup of sexual tension between the pair, so she awkwardly made her way out of it and towards Danny as the two fawned over each other.

“Hey!” Laura piped brightly.

“Hey Laura! How was your tutor session with the mistress from hell?”

Laura chuckled and shrugged her shoulders a little. “Not as terrible as I expected, but still pretty bad.” As she finished speaking, she saw a very tall guy approach. He looked like he would have been better off in football rather than marching band.

“Hey D-Bear, do you know what time we’re supposed to go in at?”

Danny rolled her eyes and turned to him. “First of all, my name is **_Danny_** , not ‘D-bear.’ Secondly, I think we go inside in a couple of minutes.” Kirsch nooded and turned his attention to Laura. A grin spread across his face. _He looks like a puppy_ , Laura thought.

“Hey little hottie, are you a freshman?” Laura rolled her eyes at the nickname and the question.

“Actually Kirsch, this is Laura. She’s a sophomore. But this is her first year in marching band.” She said slowly, her voice thick with condescension.

“Oh, cool. I’m Kirsch, I’m a junior and I play the tuba.” He said giving Laura large innocent eyes that resembled those of a puppy again and a bright smile.

“No offense, but how did you get into marching band? You seem more like the football kind of guy,” Laura blurted out.

“I was a quarterback, but some of the guys on the team were really, really mean. Like some of the pranks they pulled were awful so I quit.” _That’s weird. Cute, but weird._

“So, why’d you joined marching band of all things?” She angled her head in curiosity.

“Well, Carmilla, the hottie over there begged me to join. She’s a bit rough on the outside, but under all that snarkiness, she’s kind of a bro, you know?” _Highly doubt that._

“How’d you two meet?” Laura asked.

Kirsch put his hand on his chin and scrunched his eyebrows. “I can’t really remember, I think we had the same geography class a couple of years ago. She helped me out a ton with the classwork.” _This does not sound like her at all._

“Lunchbreak! You have until 12:30 to be back in the bandroom.” Director Cochrane called out. The group began to make its way back inside.

“Creampuff, gingersnaps, you ready?” Carmilla leaned against the doorway nonchalantly, holding her keys in one hand.

“Where’s Will?” Perry asked and looked around for the familiar head of dark locks, but he was nowhere in sight.

“Probably trying to get with J.P. again. I think they might be in the hallway somewhere.” Carmilla sniffed. She peeked around the door and saw Will practically drooling over tall, blonde-haired, and blue eyed J.P. Armitage. Laura didn’t know much about him. According to Carmilla, he played a pretty irrelevant instrument, the flute.

“Hey lover boy, you comin or...?” Carmilla called out, raising her eyebrow at the pair.

Will shot her a glare and apologetically mumbled something to J.P. before he dismissed himself. “I hate you. I was just about to get his number...” Will huffed.

“Great, I still don’t care.” Carmilla retorted. She signaled for the rest of the group to join as they walked out the school doors and into the parking lot. Carmilla unlocked the car and the pitch-black Challenger bleeped loudly.

Both Laura and LaFontaine’s jaws dropped. _Holy cow, that’s a nice car._

“You guys going to get in or...” Carmilla gestured for them to get into the back. Perry, LaFontaine, and Laura hesitantly clambered into the back while Will hopped into the front seat. He made a show of acting grumpy as he loudly clicked his seatbelt into place.

“Will, how about you stop moping. We still have like 2 weeks left of band camp. I’m sure you’ll be able to get his number by then.” Carmilla’s voice was edged with irritation. Will huffed in response.

“Buckle up creampuff.” Carmilla adjusted her rearview mirror to face Laura with a long stare. “You too, gingersnaps,” she added quickly.

The ride to restaurant was filled with Carmilla and Will fighting about marching band with the sound of rock music blaring in the background.

“Shut the fuck up Will, just let me listen to this song in peace.” Carmilla turned up the volume louder, blasting what sounded like rock from the 80’s, or Green Day.

“Is this Green Day?” Laura had a brief flashback to the scene phase she briefly went through.

Carmilla raised her eyebrow appreciatively. “Good ear cutie, didn’t spark you as a rock gal.”

Laura shrugged. “I had a weird phase in middle school.” LaFontaine chuckled, remembering their thick eyeliner and leather clothing.

“Didn’t we all?” LaFontaine added.

“Obviously Carmilla still hasn't gotten out of it yet.” Will smirked as Carmilla elbowed him.

“Will I swear to go--”

“Oh look! We’re here!” Will’s smirk grew and he got out of the car waiting for the three to snake out through the passenger’s side door.

“You know a car with 4 doors would have been more convenient,” Will commented as Carmilla grumbled.

“When I was choosing my car, I didn’t expect to have you glued to my side at all times,” she shot back.

Will pouted. “Aw come on big sis, I know you love me” Carmilla flicked him off and opened the door for the group.

“And they say chivalry is dead.”

Carmilla looked just about fed up with Will.

Lunch was filled with Perry and LaFontaine grossly flirting, Will awkwardly watching and texting J.P., and Carmilla shooting innuendos at nearly everything Laura did.

“Oh my god, this is so good!” Laura mumbled through a forkful of chicken.

“Not the first time I’ve heard that cutie.” She winked.

 

“Where’d you go Laura?” Danny set her lunch down and approached Laura.

“Carm invited me to lunch with a couple of people.”

Danny looked slightly annoyed.“You should watch out for her Laura, you never know when she’s gon-”

“I’m gonna what?” Carmilla stood against the doorway and glared at Danny.

“Nothing.” Danny glared back at Carmilla and walked out silently.

“Don’t listen to her.” Carmilla pushed herself off of the doorway and walked out stiffly. Laura thought to follow her in case Danny ran into her again, but after a moment of internal debate she decided to sit down near Kirsch.

“Don’t worry about them, they’re always out to get each other,” Kirsch said without looking up from the video game some of the guys had hooked up to the projector.

“Why?” Laura faced Kirsch.

“I’m not sure. They’ve always had something going on between the two. I think Carm accidentally made out with Danny’s girlfriend or something. It was either that or the rivalry for drum major.” _That does sound like Carmilla._

At that moment, Carmilla walked back in and shut off the video game and was greeted with a crowd of “Hey! Why’d you do that?!”

“Because as much as I’d like to watch Super Smash on a very large screen, we have to get back to work. Get in your sections.” Carmilla leaned against the stand as the room scrambled to get into place. Laura sat near the flutes and looked for an open seat.

“Is this seat open?” She asked a tall, blonde guy.

“Yeah! I’d rather you take it than-” Another girl, Elsie, conveniently appeared and sat behind the two.

“Thanks for giving away my seat J.P, you’re a true friend," Elsie snarled, glaring at Laura. J.P. ignored her.

“We’re starting off with warm ups, then we’re moving onto football game music, and we’ll finish off by starting our show music. If you need to tune come up and do it now," Carmilla called out, glancing over at them briefly.

A line of students began to form near the tuner and Laura decided to make small talk with the guy sitting next to her while she waited for warm ups to begin.  

“Thanks for letting me sit here, what’s your name?” She tilted her head with a wide smile, waiting for his response.

“Oh, I’m J.P., short for Joshua Patrick, but we don’t bring that up.”

Laura gave him a bashful smile and nodded. "I’m Laura.”

J.P. set his flute on his lap and turned to face her.“I’m really glad I have you as my new stand partner honestly. Elsie is so bad at playing,” He whispered hastily, glancing over at the line she was standing in.

“I mean, she can’t be _that_ bad..." Laura wanted to believe that at least. She followed his gaze and watched Elsie a little more closely.

“Just wait, she can’t even do the warm ups,” J.P. assured her. He looked over once again.

“She should probably stop kissing Carmilla's ass and start practicing instead," he added and then quickly pressed his lips in a tight line, noticing Elsie make her way back.

 

Laura quickly learned that J.P was in fact correct. Elsie couldn’t play the flute and she should probably stop kissing ass. Most of their practice was Elsie eye fucking Carmilla while Carmilla smirked and lazily directed the group. Perry took over halfway through practice, but for some reason Carmilla still didn’t play anything. She would just wander around and giggle with some of the more attractive players.

“Carm, could you help out the trumpets with measure thirty two?” Perry called out, watching Carmilla make her way over towards their section. Laura watched as Carmilla not only pretended to french with the trumpet but bent over seductively to point at the notes on the paper.

 

“Okay, so from what Perry and I can hear, you guys are really fucking this part up.” The trumpet section sighed in frustration. “Don’t worry, it’s completely alright. We get it, there’s always one part that gets us,” Carmilla responded simply, Laura unable to hear the exchange. She took the trumpet from one of the players and held it up to her face.

“What I keep hearing is you guys making out with the mouth piece like this." She began to demonstrate. Laura tried not to stare.  

“This isn’t right, that’s why you guys sound all weird and off key.” The other kids nodded their heads in unison.

“Another thing I hear is,” she bent over and pointed at one of the measures, “you guys keep fucking up this high note, so practice that shit until you get it right. Other than that you’re good.”  Carmilla stood back up slowly and walked to the director's office, flopping down tiredly onto the sofa in there.

 

“Does Carmilla always flirt and do nothing?” Laura whispered to J.P.

“She’s helpful, you probably just don’t notice it. Better than Elsie, at least." _I don’t think flirting and seducing sounds like a tactic to help people learn to play instruments._

“Probably,” Laura mumbled.

 

Her father waited outside the band doors at 5:00 pm sharp. Laura ran out as soon as she was dismissed, knowing that her father would get worried if she was late.

“How was your first day of band camp sweetheart?” He asked when he saw her, his eyes lighting up.

Laura groaned loudly. “Exhausting, but it went better than expected.” He smiled gently at Laura pulling out of the driveway.

“Anything exciting happen?”

Laura laid back into the chair and exhaled, thinking through that day's events. “Like everything, it was so much fun! I mean, besides the whole 'play for 5 hours straight thing.' But..." she's trailed off, looking up at the skyline as Carmilla crossed her mind for the slightest of moments. She paused before she finished. “But I really enjoyed it."

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Let me know if you enjoyed and make sure to comment or ask any questions! Don't forget to hit me up on tumblr!


	3. Score

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Carmilla might have a soft spot for Laura.

“Hey Laura, did you get your schedule yet?” LaFontaine took the seat next to Laura and pulled out their schedule.

“I just got it in the mail. I might need to switch out of some of them, though.” Laura took a closer look at LaFontaine's schedule. _Accelerated Biology, Algebra 2, Band 2, Intro to Microbiology.  Dang, LaF is really stepping up their science game._

“What’s with all the science classes?”

LaFontaine frowned briefly and turned to face Laura with a steady gaze. “I just wanna get a head start, you know?” They handed back Laura's schedule. “I think we might have lunch and _Algebra 2_ together. But I don't know why the hell you would ever take philosophy. That class is filled with pretentious seniors.”

Laura sighed and nodded her head, making a face. "I know. I wanted to take grammar and composition... but I got put there instead. It really sucks.” As she finished talking, she saw out of the corner of her eye Perry walking in with Will by her side.

Will was chattering away nervously as Perry appeared to be rubbing her temple in irritation. “So, do you think J.P has a thing for me or is he jus - ”

“Will, give the girl a break.” Carmilla was a couple of feet behind the two and interrupted him sharply. “None of us know, willy boy. All we know is that you’re always non-stop yapping about that kid. You might blow this one's head off." She raised her eyebrows and directed a pointed look towards Perry, who still looked aggravated. Will sighed and fell silent as Perry and Carmilla took a seat next to LaFontaine. After a moment or two, he disappeared off into the instrument room, face red as he mumbled quietly to himself.

Perry cleared her throat. “Can I see your schedule?” She asked LaFontaine and they shyly reached into their pocket in response. Perry studied the paper scrutinizingly and handed it back after a pause.

“That is a lot of science classes.” Perry raised her eyebrows in amusement.

“Yeah, well, it’s a passion, you know? Some things...some things you just really love and you can't help it.” LaFontaine's lips curled into a small smile as they raised their gaze to meet Perry's eyes.

"Yeah." Perry smiled. "I know." She shyly gazed back at LaFontaine.

Carmilla snorted in distaste and turned away from the pair.

“Hey sugarcube." Carmilla prodded Laura's side and the tiny girl faced her. Apparently, nicknamed had already become a normal thing.

“Hmm?”

“Pass me your schedule.” Laura placed the piece of paper between Carmilla's hands while Carmilla studied it.

“We have _Algebra 2_ , philosophy and band together. Just my luck.” Noticing Carmilla's sarcasm, Laura would have said something bitter in response but she caught a glimpse of Carmilla’s harmless smile before replying.

“That’d be more convincing if..." She trailed off as the door banged open. Everyone turned to look.

“Little hotties! Guess who has _Algebra 2_ this year!” Kirsch flailed his arms up, schedule in his hands.

“And it’s all thanks to you!” Kirsch ran up to Carmilla and picked her up, swinging her around.

“Put me down, you Neanderthal!” Carmilla shouted, cursing under her breath as she was being twirled around off the ground. Laura couldn't help but giggle, but Perry was a bit more concerned as she nervously watched the two.

“I swear to God, if you don’t put me down this instant I will-” Luckily, Kirsch set her down with a big goofy grin on his face before she could finish her threat.

“You’re gonna what?” He taunted.

Carmilla punched him in the arm with a scowl.

“Aww, you’re cute when you’re angry.” Kirsch chuckled as Carmilla grumpily sat back on the sofa at the back of the directors room.

“Congrats Kirsch!” Laura smiled brightly as he sat next to her.

“Thanks, little nerd hottie!” Kirsch beamed as he ruffled Laura’s hair up. “Although, I really owe it to Carmilla, mostly."  

“Shut the fuck up already,” Carmilla said from her spot on the couch.

“Come on Carm, you helped me out. It was such a bro thing to do!” Carmilla rolled her eyes.

“Stop, you’re giving people the impression that I help people on a regular basis.” She looked at Laura. "Which I don't."

Kirsch looked at her in disbelief. “You do!” He shouted. "Remember the one time you -"

“Shut the fuck up before I kick your ass!”

Kirsch laughed and raised his hands in surrender.

“I’ll be waiting.” Carmilla stood up and shut the door of the office.

“Come on, don’t be like that,” Kirsch whined, but she was gone.

After Laura was sure she couldn't hear her, her curiosities got the best of her and she began to talk about Carmilla.

"I hear Carmilla is really good at math? She's really smart, I assume?” Kirsch nodded.

“She’s smart, she just doesn't like to do her work. Otherwise, she probably would have graduated by now.” he stated.

"Hmm," Laura responded thoughtfully. For some reason, she couldn't imagine lazy, attractive Carmilla being a genius child.

 

  
  


Laura hated having classes with Carmilla. She was annoying, disruptive, and obnoxiously pretentious, but she never failed to ace a test. She never did any of her classwork, but she still had a perfect grade. She really _was_ smart. But her annoying intelligence wasn't Laura's biggest problem with Carmilla. Worst of all, she got away with breaking the dress code on a daily.

“Carmilla is wearing those shorts that scream dress code violation, but I can’t wear my favorite shirt because they show off my collarbone?” Laura slammed her notebook against her desk slightly, startling LaFontaine.

“Chill out frosh.” LaFontaine looked around for a sign of Perry or Carmilla.

“God, her stupid dumb shorts and crazy attractive face aren't fair," Laura said frustratedly.

“Attractive? Ooh...does my little Laura have a crush on vampira?” LaFontaine quirked their eyebrow as Laura turned a bright red.

“No! I do not have a crush on her! I can find a person attractive without - I don't - I don't have a crush on -” Laura stammered as Carmilla and Perry both walked in the door.

”Does my little creampuff have a crush? Who’s the lucky lady?” Carmilla smirked, taking the seats next to them. Laura huffed in embarrassment, shaking her head firmly and avoiding Carmilla's stupidly attractive eyes.

“So Mrs. Kelly, _score_ anything last weekend?” Carmilla smirked and laid her feet on her desk leaning back against her chair.

“No Carmilla, I did not score anything last weekend. Except for the test that most of you will have to retake." She rolled her eyes and took a seat at her desk, clicking her pen.

“Maybe next weekend then, Mrs. Kelly, you’ll get them," Carmilla grinned.

Mrs. Kelly pursed her lips and shook her head. “Take out last night's homework, we’ll go over it after we finish today's lesson.” As to be expected, this was the point where Carmilla stopped paying attention. She made a big show of putting her head down on her desk as Laura watched her doze off in class like she always did.

Later on during the lesson, Laura glanced over towards Carmilla and saw her whispering to Perry but tried not to pay much attention to it, only gathering snippets of the conversation.

“Can I stay over tonight?”

Carmilla's eyes darted over to Perry. “Yeah, I’ll let Mattie know.”

Perry nodded.“Sorry about coming over so often it’s just that-”

“Perry, Karnstein, pay attention or I’ll have to separate you two.”

“I’ll tell you later,” Perry whispered.

  
  
  


“After all, every murderer when he kills runs the risk of the most dreadful of deaths, whereas those who kill him risk nothing except promotion.”

“Can anyone tell me who this quote is by?” Carmilla raised a hand languidly but didn't even wait to be called on.

“Albert Camus,” Carmilla answered tersely.

“Impressive, young lady. How did you know?” The teacher turned his head in surprise.

“Isn’t it obvious?”

“It may be to you, Miss Karnstein, but it is slightly harder for the rest of the pupils who don’t know a lick about philosophy.”

Carmilla looked over smugly at Laura while he said that and Laura rolled her eyes. “Well, let me give some context then. Albert Camus was born a relatively poor child with most of his family unable to fully provide for him, thus giving him this mindset of-” _How the hell does she know so much about this guy? Who would even care?_ Laura attempted to pay attention, half-annoyed by Carmilla's condescension, but once Carmilla started talking about Camus' involvement in the communist party she zoned out. _Did I bring my sheet music today? I think I did. I should probably ask J.P about that measure we had trouble with. I wonder what he’s up to right now._ Even after she had run through an entire mental list of to-do's, Carmilla was still speaking.

Laura looked out the window and watched the birds chase each other, pondering the lack of excitement in the class so far. She just didn't understand the appeal of philosophy. None of it was even remotely interesting. Laura spaced out as she counted the leaves on the tree outside and didn't even notice that Carmilla had stopped ranting and the teacher was now giving instructions.

“And Laura, I’ll pair you up with Carmilla.” _Just my luck_ , Laura thought bitterly,

hearing Carmilla's words from the other day ring in her ears again.

Carmilla offered another smirk and sat in the desk next to Laura. "Alright cutie, what did you think about Plato?” Carmilla grumbled, either in annoyance or boredom.

“He was alright.”

Carmilla rolled her eyes. “Is that all you can think of?”

Laura shrugged. “That’s about it. I mean, he was pretty liberal in comparison to the rest. I’d consider him somewhat a feminist.” Carmilla scoffed. “You’re kidding me, right?” Laura furrowed her brows in confusion. "What?"

“Cupcake, Beyonce is a feminist. Plato was just a guy who wasn’t as misogynistic as the rest of his peers. Sure, he supported women to take part as a guardian, but he still thought that they shouldn’t take part in everything. That's the key matter. But more importantly, Plato was a bore.” Laura nodded dumbly. She didn’t really care much about philosophers anyway. She really didn't know much about any of these people to really discuss on Carmilla's level.

She switched tactics, attempting to change the subject. “Are you coming to band practice today?”

Carmilla packed away her books and shrugged. “Yeah, I think it’s just woodwinds practicing today.”

“You’re going to band straight after class then, right?”

“That's what my schedule tells me.” Carmilla answered crisply. Her face flickered momentarily with some emotion Laura couldn't put her finger on, but it was gone in an instant. _Huh. She's acting weird._

Carmilla cleared her throat awkwardly. "So, uh, do you want me to walk with you to class? I mean, we both have that class anyway, and I’d rather not have you trampled by all the upperclassmen...” _Is she being nice?_ Carmilla saw the confusion on Laura’s face and a fearful look crossed her face before being replaced with the same look of apathy as before. “But, if you’d rather get to class late, that’s fine by me,” Carmilla added disinterestedly.

“Um...well, how much time do we have until class ends?” Carmilla glanced over at the clock.

“Two minutes."

“Let me pack up my things and then we can walk. Okay?” Laura said softly. Carmilla gave her the smallest of smiles that Laura almost didn't catch before she just nodded stoically. Laura put away her books and quickly took out her phone hoping that Carmilla wouldn’t notice. She had to tell someone about this weird new development.

**ShortStack (1:49pm):I think Carmilla is being possessed, she just offered to walk me to class**

**LaFonBrain (1:49pm): Or maybe she just has a huge gay crush for my tiny Laura**

**ShortStack (1:49pm): Haha, Very funny :P**

“Are you ready?” Carmilla adjusted the straps on her bag as she stood up.

“Yeah.” Laura stood up and threw her bag on waiting for the bell to ring. She looked at Carmilla expectantly.

“Stay close to me, otherwise you’ll be trampled." The bell finally rang and Carmilla pushed through the hallways that were flooding with people. She didn’t mind shoving people out of the way to get through them, but Laura was offering a million apologies to everybody she bumped into.

“Would you mind keeping up?” Carmilla glanced over as Laura was a couple of feet away. She reached for her hand and grasped it firmly as they navigated through the maze of students. _Holy shit, she is holding my hand, we are holding hands. Holy fuck._  They made it down the stairwell and Carmilla finally let go.

“We should be good now." Carmilla said, and the two walked side by side to the band room, keeping an appropriate distance from one another. Perry got up from her seat and made her way over to them.

“Hey Carm, I need to talk to you real quick.” Carmilla nodded a bit confused let and threw her bag against one of the chairs nearby, following Perry outside.

Laura took a seat next to LaFontaine and set her bag down. _I wonder what that was about._

 

Perry led Carmilla into the empty teacher lounge across the hall.

“Everything alright?” Carmilla cocked her head and leaned against the wall, folding her arms over her chest.

“Um...could I actually stay at your place for a couple of days?” Perry asked nervously.

“What? Yeah, of course. Is everything alright at home?” Carmilla was genuinely worried now. She knew that Perry liked to keep her homelife secret, but she didn’t know why.  

“Yes!...Actually, no not really. You see, my dad isn’t...exactly the best...and my mom isn’t really ever around. I wish I could be there for my siblings, but they’re just a mess waiting to happen. I’m waiting for child protective services to investigate so that I can have them in a better place, but it doesn’t look promising. My dad has a way of covering his marks.” Perry sighed.

Carmilla's heart dropped. “He hasn’t done anything to you, has he?” Her blood began to boil as she clenched her fists, trying not to let herself think about what terrible things Perry's dad  could have done. How could anyone treat such a kind person with so much disrespect?

“No, no, nothing major. Yet. He’s had kind of a bad week so I’m trying to stay far away for now. I told my siblings to stay out of the house for a while so and sleep over at their friends' houses because I can't stand the thought of them being alone with him. I'm just afraid for how he'll react when he realizes we're hiding from him...”

“If he ever does anything to you or every lay a hand on you, call me and I will kick his ass. Understand?” Carmilla said firmly.

Perry's eyes welled with tears and she collapsed into Carmillas arms. “I’m really glad you’re my friend," she mumbled. Carmilla petted the top of her head and rubbed her back silently as Perry sniffled into her shoulder. They were silent like that until Perry's sniffling finally subsided.

“Hey, come on, Betty Crocker, let’s get to class before we get in trouble. Okay?” Perry nodded and straightened herself up before following Carmilla into the band room.

LaFontaine's head turned when they saw Perry and they immediately got up after seeing her red eyes. "Hey Per, you alright?” They pulled her into their arms.

“I’m alright, there's just a few things going through my mind right now, but don’t worry, I’m more than fine now.” She assured, relaxing into their embrace.

Laura watched the two in silence and then followed Carmilla into the director's backroom and took a seat next to her. She frowned. “Is everything alright with Perry?”

“I don't think that concerns you,” Carmilla scolded coldly.

“Right. Sorry,” Laura shyly mumbled. The two sat there awkwardly and Laura felt increasingly more uncomfortable until Elsie came into the office suddenly and took a seat on Carmilla’s lap.

Completely ignoring Laura, she began to play with Carmilla's hair. “So, babe, are you gonna come over tonight?” Elsie smirked, leaning forward into Carmilla's lap.

 _Okay then_. Laura awkwardly left the room, feeling like an intruder, but she couldn't help staying nearby the office. She leaned back against the wall.

"Elsie, I told you, that was a one time thing," she heard Carmilla say annoyedly. "Now get the hell off of me." There was a stretch of quiet and Elsie let out a huff eventually. She stomped out of the room, tossing a dirty look towards Laura. _That's weird, I would've expected Carmilla to agree, but..._

“Hey creampuff?”

Laura quickly turned to face Carmilla. “What?” _Did she know I was listening?_

“Wanna get lunch after school? My treat.”

Laura paused for a moment, but she didn't really have to think about it. "Yeah, sure. Of course."

  
  
  


Laura looked over at Carmilla in the driver's seat after checking the car clock. “Won't we be late to practice?”

“And if we are, would it be such a crime?” Carmilla laughed. "Buckle up, creampuff."

 

They arrived at a Japanese place.

“Do you want to eat here or in the band room?”

Carmilla handed over her money to the cashier as she looked at Laura. “Whichever you prefer, cupcake.”

Laura scrunched her nose up for a second. _Go to the band room with obnoxious girls all over Carmilla or stay here with her alone? Hmmm..._

“Here sounds fine.Besides, we get a break from the noise before practice starts.” Carmilla hummed in acknowledgement and collected her change from the cashier, moving swiftly to claim a nearby table.

“You know, I’ve known you for a little over two weeks and I still don’t know what instrument you play,” Laura said slowly. She thought for a moment. Mainly, this was because Carmilla was too busy flirting or sleeping to really practice during band.

“I have to keep some of my secrets. Otherwise I’ll lose my air of mystery won't I?” Carmilla smirked.

“Well, you’ll _have_ to play this Friday for the game so I guess I’ll find out then.” Laura grinned back.

“Suit yourself sweetheart, but it’s completely obvious...”

Laura scrunched up her nose. “No it isn’t! You literally never play! I’m surprised you haven’t gotten kicked yet."

Carmilla chuckled to herself and nodded her head. “So you’ve thought this through then?”

“Yes! I mean, no… It’s not that.. I don't..." Laura proceeded to stumble over her words and groaned in frustration before setting her head down.

“Come on, I was just teasing you.” Carmilla reached over and hesitantly touched Laura's hair, running her fingers through it. _This feels nice_ , Laura thought, her face flushing. She loved when people played with her hair. Carmilla continued stroking Laura's hair until the smallest moan left Laura's mouth.

“Save it for the first date,” Carmilla smirked and retracted her fingers before walking over to pick up their order. Laura noticed the two take out boxes near their plates.

“Who’s that for?” Laura asked curiously, taking her plate off the tray. Carmilla was about to answer before her phone rang loudly. She reached into her pocket and answered it reluctantly.

 **“Where’s my fooodddd?”** Will groaned through the other end.

“Can I at least enjoy my meal before having you annoy me?”

_“No. I’m hunggrryyy.”_

“We’ll be done in 20. You're a big kid and you can wait 20 minutes, can't you?”  
 _“We? Who’s the lucky lady? WAIIIT, You’re with Lauraaaa. Are you on a date with Lau-”_  
At that, Carmilla hung up abruptly, and choose to ignore the recurring call two seconds later.

“Curley cue and Willy boy, William just called to annoy the hell out of me” Carmilla began to eat her food with no intent to continue the conversation.

A few seconds later, Laura's phone buzzed with a text message.

**LaFonBrain(3:40pm): WILL JUST TOLD ME THAT YOU’RE ON A DATE WITH CARMILLA, IS THIS TRUE???!!!**

**ShortStack(3:43pm): First of all, no. second of all, why would I be on a date with her???**

**LaFonBrain(3:44pm):Because you have a huge gay crush on Broodzilla**

Laura’s cheeks turned a light shade of red. She set her phone down hastily and resumed eating.

“What’s got you so red?” Carmilla cocked her head in curiosity.

“Huh?” Laura shot her head up and the crimson that adorned her cheeks became even redder.

“Is it your boyfriend?” Carmilla teased.

“Okay firstly, that would require me to be in a relationship...secondly, I don’t play for that team."

Carmilla’s eyebrow shot up.

“Seems as so we’re batting on the same team, nice to know.” _Nice to know? What does that mean?_

“I wish I knew what you were thinking." Laura gazed up at a carefree Carmilla.

“I wish I did too,” Laura mumbled back under her breath.

  
  


“Winds inside, percussion across the hall, and every other section, find a group!” Director called out as the students arrived. Carmilla set her things out and promptly left the room. So she’s not a wind, I know that much. Laura sighed and began to set up.

 

Carmilla walked across the hall with the percussion group.

“Does everyone know what we’re doing?” Danny glared at her and adjusted the straps on her tenors.

“Yes Dracula, we’ve been doing just fine without you,” Danny huffed.

“Drop down and give me ten,” Carmilla called out.

“For what?” Danny threw her arms out in exasperation.

“Disrespect.” Carmilla smirked as Danny got down and did her push-ups effortlessly, although with clear annoyance.

“Mel, are you alright handling the bassline?”

“You got it Karnstein.” Mel adjusted the harness on her snare attentively and took out her sticks.

“I’m gonna hop around from section to section checking on the rest. Mel, you’re in charge of drumline for the day. Make sure to have all the cadences ready for Friday.” Mel nodded and Danny glared at Carmilla as she left the room again with a smug look. Now that she had gotten that over with, Carmilla went into the band room where the winds were practicing.

“Perry, take over the other sections, I’ve got this.” Perry nodded and backed away from the others, beginning to collect her sheet music into her arms. She watched as Carmilla began to take the lead.

“I want you to start front the top of the show,” Carmilla commanded. The kids nodded in acknowledgement and turned their music to the front page, preparing to play.

“I highly recommend you think of the drill we went over yesterday so you can map out the area.” Music began to echo around the room. Carmilla listened closely, her eyes flitting back and forth between the different players. Halfway through the song, she noticed something was off and narrowed it down to the flute section. Someone was playing the wrong notes.

“Flutes! One more time without J.P” She listened carefully paying close attention to Laura. _She’s actually playing it right, which means one thing._

“Laura, play alone.” Laura nervously brought the flute up the her mouth, already unable to concentrate due to the way Carmillas curls brushed over her face.

“Play it again,” Carmilla ordered with narrowed eyes. Laura reread her music and realized she had been playing the wrong note all along. She retried it but it just ended up sounding worse.

“Jeez, all you’re doing is playing an E sharp. It’s not that hard.”

“What would you know? You don’t even play anything!” Laura blurted out. She bit her lip as hushed giggles filled the room. Carmilla reached over and took hold of Laura’s flute, not even bothering to wipe off the mouthpiece before playing it. Laura gawked as Carmilla played the measure quickly and effortlessly. The music sounded infinitely better coming from her. The laughter quickly subsided as all the students watched in silent fascination.

Carmilla broke the silence as she put down the flute. “You just have to ease up. You’re always so tense that it causes your notes to tense up too.”

 _Well, maybe she plays the flute._ The rest of practice went by smoothly, with Laura avoiding measures she had trouble with to avoid another confrontation with Carmilla.

“Laura, before you leave, come see me.” Carmilla ordered, watching Laura pack up her instrument. After the band room cleared out a bit, she met up with her outside.

“What did you need?” Laura asked, a bit nervously. Carmilla handed Perry the keys as she walked out.

“Go start the car, i’ll be there in five,” she said to Perry, who nodded and took the keys. That left the pair alone. Laura noted the lanyard; it was black and red with the name Vic Firth blodly printed across. _Maybe he’s a philosopher?_

“Do you need any help with any of the music? I mean I could help you out with it...if you _want._ ”

Laura’s face lit up. "Really?" _I can't believe she would do something so nice..._

“I just don’t want you screwing us over during our performance.” _Oh. There’s Carmilla._

“Um, yeah, why not?” Laura responded hesitantly.

“Give me your number, so I can give you a time” Laura pulled out a pen from her bag and wrote her number on her wrist.

**Papa(6:10pm): I’m outside**

“My dad’s outside, I gotta go” Laura adjusted her bag and turned around swiftly.

“I’ll walk you”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Let me know if you enjoyed, and hit me up on tumblr if you want!

**Author's Note:**

> Hit me up on tumblr for any questions, prompts, or leave a comment down below :)


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